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Topic: Starting TBH straight (Read 2590 times)

Would using the band saw on a piece of pf100 to create a tbh full piece of foundation help the bees draw straight comb on the other bars. I have read Mr. Bush's advice to use a pf120 as a guide when starting a package on foundationless in a standard hive set up. Would this be beneficial in a TBH as well, or do the same concerns not apply? I am planning on couple of these this spring along with an expansion of my standard equipment and am planning to buy packages to start. Also, is there any advantage to a 5 lb package when starting? Do the extra bees give any head start to the TBH?

PCF,When bees start drawing the comb in a TBH, they usually start as the guide or starter strips dictate. After a few combs are started, you will if it is going to happen, a small bend or curve to the comb. Once it starts, it will continued to develop until its just messed up comb. If you watch every week or so, you can determine this as it develops and take corrective action. And that can be just adding new bars between the already straight pieces, while culling out of moving the other less straight pieces further and further back.

When they do the bending or curving of the comb and it progresses more and more, it can be a sign that the bar width is too wide. But it could also be that the bees just start this as they draw honey comb deeper on one side and then adjust on the next frame, and it goes out of whack from there.

Don't be afraid to change out or add new bars and force them to draw good comb between the straight pieces.